¡Satiristas! (HarperCollins, 2010) pairs Dion’s talent behind the lens with spot-on interviews by Paul Provenza with “comedians, contrarians, raconteurs & vulgarians.” To narrow the field—and to capture the tenor of our times—the women and men who populate these pages are on the front ranks of satire, exploring the relationship between humor and society, analyzing politics, the media, and “institutionalized ignorance.”

Some of the gang mug for the camera, but not most; they lounge, they let down their guard, and they give the camera a straight-on look that says, This is who I am. After all, as satirists, they’re offering social commentary, not pure slapstick.

In Dion’s introduction, he shares a bittersweet moment: George Carlin told him his photograph (Carlin perched on an upright piano) was the one he wanted to be remembered by—three weeks before dying. Dion also reveals, “The key to the guarded door of celebrity photography is trust. Without it, you don’t get in. Betray it, and the drawbridge is raised and you are thrown to the alligators.”